Pioneering Nonprofit News Operation Gains Approval

Merger of St. Louis Public Radio and St. Louis Beacon gains approval by board of curators.

Newsrooms around the country are becoming quieter as layoffs and closures silence once-thriving organizations, but a University of Missouri–St. Louis site in midtown St. Louis will soon be bustling as its population of journalists doubles.

The combined news staff will be located at UMSL at Grand Center, 3651 Olive Street, which houses university classrooms and St. Louis Public Radio. Grand Center is the region’s largest arts and entertainment district.

The consolidation creates an innovative model for a multiplatform news operation that provides in-depth coverage of urban events and issues. The endeavor will allow longtime journalists to practice their craft, while providing training for student journalists at both UMSL and the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism. Other academic research opportunities are also being considered.

UMSL Chancellor Thomas George (center) beams as Richard Weil (left), chair of the St. Louis Beacon Board of Directors, and Dean Mills, dean of the MU School of Journalism, celebrate the integration of the Beacon and St. Louis Public Radio news staffs. UMSL and MU are creating academic and research programs based around the news operation.